13 Isometric Exercises That Connect And Strenghten Your Core

Exercise, when done properly deliver immense health benefits to both the mind and body. Exercise tones the body. It tones and strength the muscles, joint and ligaments. The endocrine system is not left out in the set.

Exercise can be one of the best remedy for ill health when all else fail to do a miracle.

You disagreed? Okay. What do you think is the best antidote for losing weight? Diet restrictions? You should then be starving your body of essential food nutrients and laying the ground for ill-health!

On the other hand, with a properly balanced chop plate, plus regular exercises, you are sure to loss some ponds weekly of your body mass.

Again, what is your take on gaining muscular weight? Eating plenty of the best or high carbs, fats and protein food class? You may be wrong. It is pulling and lifting heavy weigh that do the tricks. That is what body builders who achieved big muscles just do. That is what the barbells, dumb bells and weight tools do to your muscles in the gym. But foods fuel the weight gaining processes. 

Do exercises complement or supplement our health? I take it that those who regularly exercise enjoy more health benefits than sedentary persons. Their bodies seem to be strong and vibrant with excellent health. 

Virus, one of the most feared disease vectors  such as the common cold virus do not easily take a hold on such persons, because regular exercise have strengthen their respiratory system plus the  immune system of such persons. 

The more you exercise weekly, twice or thrice, the more both your respiratory and immune system become rejuvenate and strong.

These two systems the respiratory and immune systems were the first disease or virus will attack to get an inroad into the whole body.

Be wise and prepare to exercise regularly. It will save you lots of hospital and medical bills.

And that is why exercising the body will strengthen all the external musculature, including the much neglected endocrine system.

Isometric Exercises

Traditional exercise in the form of games and sporting activities are well known. But hardly many practice these workouts. We left them to the professionals and service men and women.

School days exercises like the simple press ups and down, and jumping jacks and skipping ropes that can be done in the living room, or near your home have been done away by some since leaving school.

Sedentary lives via, riding or driving the car, and watching the streaming entertainment and enjoying convenience foods is the thing now.

Most persons will not like to take a short work even though it would take them less than 20 minutes.

Others will not like to chop the tender vegetables to make a good and delicious nice meal; they prefer the canned substitute. Chopping your vegetable is kind of a physical activity that will keep your body on your toes and strong.

Walk up the first and second stirs instead of taking the lift or elevator. 

It is a fast track age. Our body becomes the coach potato. In other words, we do not have the time to stretch our body.

But with isometrics, the good thing is that a maximum of one minute is enough to cover3 or 4 sets or repetition of the exercise. Each set will take you a minimum of 10 or15 seconds; or even less. You rest for 20 seconds for each set. That is not asking too much.

The exercises below will be target to build the neck, the upper body, the abdominal and the lower body.

One merit of isometrics workouts is that every motor unit in your body is sufficiently activated which is not possible with the traditional exercises. Research has shown that isometrics exercises carry over ten weeks effort will increase strength over 5% in a week. It is up to each individual to demonstrate the reality of the result. In other words, you must continue to do your isometrics regularly two or three times in the week without a break to achieve the result.

Another advantage is that you need little or no equipment at all in doing isometrics and the timing seems to be short at a specific joint angle or range of angles that is static.

For example, the high plank can be done at various angles 45, 60, 90, 120 degrees. The advantage of this is that you will be strengthening your chest and shoulder muscles at various lengths instead of a specific position or degree.

Your effort in exerting forces on the immovable object or your maximal voluntary contraction however small is significant. It should not be 100%. A 60% minimum is okay and can give you the health benefits.

Do them from the top down to the bottom for better result.

Before beginning each exercise, take your time to stretch the muscles of your body for 3 to 5 minutes. 

The Upper body Isometrics

This exercise will cover the shoulder, the chest, biceps and triceps. The trick to use is the complete hand press or prayer pose, and triceps wall push will strengthen the upper body.

Before this, let’s attempt an isometrics for the head.

 

This is to exercise muscles at right, left, fore head and back of the neck.

 Press your right hand against the right side of the head above your ear. Press firmly against your head with the hand and the head against the hand. This creates tension in the neck at the action point. Do it for 15 seconds and rest for 20 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

This isometrics can be done at the left side with the same instructions. But the left hand is held against the left side of the head. The timing and repetition is as above.

Another exercise is at the back of the neck and the muscle at the upper back. 

With one hand over the other, place same at the back of the head. With this done, press the hands against the head and the head against the hands. Do it only for 15 seconds and rest for 20 seconds. Repeat same 2-3 times.

Lastly, the front of the neck muscles will complete the neck exercises. Place the heel of your hands on your forehead above your eyebrows. Now press the hands against the forehead and the head against the hands. Do it for 15 seconds and rest 20 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times and rest.

Hint: as a beginner, do this neck isometrics for 5-8 seconds instead of 15 seconds. You can then increase the time to 15 seconds later when you felt confidence. Doing isometrics is hard! And it is not a popular workout in sports or games.

In all, you execute four isometrics workouts.

Remember to breathe in and out during each exercise. If you hold your breath, your blood pressure will rise significantly at the resting stage; and this will spell damage to your health. So always breathe in and out when doing isometrics.   

                

Okay, let’s begin our upper body training.

Isometrics Prayer Pose

Stand on your feet and place the palm of your hand together as in a prayer. Press both palms firmly and hard enough for 10 or15 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times and rest for 20 seconds per repetition. This isometric exercise will work the chest. Do not forget to breathe in and out during the process.

Isometrics Triceps Wall Push

Stand in a forward position with both fists on the wall and press hard against the wall. You can only know that the pressing is right when you press with the triceps, and not the biceps. Breathe deeply and out. Take a set for 15 seconds and repeat 2-3 times and rest for 20 seconds per set.

Isometrics Wall Push

This isometrics is like the triceps wall push, but the palms of the hands instead of the fist is use to push the wall with the same standing position. If you bent lower and lower, the isometrics works your shoulders; stand upright as in the triceps wall push to work your chest.

Isometrics High Plank

Lie face down on the floor or ground on which you spread a board in case of the ground. Your elbows and forearms should be placed under your chest.

With one deep breath, raise yourself to form a bride by using your toes and forearm like as in doing the press up. Hold this for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times and rest for 20 seconds. Remember the high plank is similar to the press up, but you do not lower yourself here. The core and back muscles are worked.

It is now time for us to train the abdominals muscles. The following two exercises will do the trick.

Isometrics Low Plank

Get into the starting position of the high plank. Raise yourself with your forearm to form a low bridge. For this reason, the low plank is sometimes called the low bridge or forearm plank.  Keep the ankle, hip, shoulder and knees straight or parallel to your spine. Tighten or contract your abs as hard as you can while breathing. Take 15 seconds for each exercise and rest 20 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

Isometrics Side Bridge

Lying on your right side, you press up fully with your right arm to form a bridge. Place your left arm on your waist and hold this for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times and rest for 20 seconds for each set.

Next, turn on your left side and do the same by pressing up with your left arm to form the bridge. The timing and rest period is as in the side ridge.

Isometrics Stomach Extensions

Push your stomach out as hard as you can for 10 -15 seconds; repeat 2-3 times and rest for 20 seconds.

Next, pull the stomach in 10-15 seconds for same timing as you draw the stomach in and rest 20 seconds.

Hint: in doing these abdominal isometrics, consider losing fats round the stomach. In this case, use less force and increase the resting period to between 40 to 60 seconds. The same rule applies to all other isometrics if your aim is to loss fat.

The Lower Body Isometrics

Most of the time, we left out the lower body in our exercise routine. Yet, the lower body is an important structure that supports the upper body. You should give them due respect.

Isometrics Wall Or Low Squat

Stand straight with your back to the wall of your office or living room. Lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the floor and try to squeeze your feet together. This helps the inner thigh muscles to be tense more. Do not let your knees to go over your toes.

Do each set for 15 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. Take a rest period of 20 seconds.

Your glutes, quads, abductors are worked here.

So far, this is so good.

Should you be doing these exercises for strength and muscle growth, use more force against the resistance object. Each set and repetition should be then 30 seconds and you rest for 60 seconds.

Incorporate these 13 isometrics workouts into your regular exercises or as a separate entity.

Remember this very well. You should do isometrics two or three times in the week. Some authority have suggest four times in the week. In this case, one should reduce the time to less than 10 seconds say 5 or 8 seconds, and for every repetition with a rest period of 20 seconds.

Should you merged them into your regular work outs, take 10 seconds for each sets and repetition of 3 only.

The maximum time for all your isometric exercises should be 10 minutes and not more. This is an authority.

Too much can get on and tell on your central nervous system. Isometrics is hard indeed.

To your good health!

Isometrics Low Plank Can Be Done At Various Angle Ranges

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Isometric Exercises For Connecting Your Core

http://goodhealthfront.blogspot.com/Traditional aerobic and anaerobic exercises will keep you fitter, stronger and healthier.

It builds muscle, keep joint and bone supple and strong.

The same thing can be said of sporting activities and games like football, tennis, badminton, running and swimming.

Core Of The Body

In all these physical exercises, one thing saliently left out is the core of the body. Do you know the core of your body? Your core is the major and minor internal muscles that are hidden deep in the external musculature or the external body that is devoid of any clothing.

You can easily see or felt the biceps and triceps, since these are part of the external musculature, but you cannot see the pelvic floor. 

They are more than 15 of these muscles including the diaphragm, the pelvic floor and the transverse abdominal muscles. Many of us have learnt a thing or two about these three muscles in our biology or health science class. These three form part of the major core. The lower back and the hip form part of the minor core. Generally, the core supports the anatomic and posture of the body. Without it, I think you are a picked vegetable.

In an exercise such as isometrics, all the major and minor internal muscle is committed together, in a functional manner to form the core of the body. Let’s say you bent to lose your shoe and carry it up to be put on the clothing cupboard. Every one of these 15 muscles is involved in the movement and not a single isolation. Your core is a complex mechanism.

Isometric Exercises

They is an exercise that you can do anywhere at any time of the day or night. This exercise is that which connects your core.

It is called isometrics exercise.

The prefix “iso” means equal or same. Metrics comes from “metro” which means distance or length. Hence, isometric is equal length or distance.

The heart of all isometric exercises is strength building or strength training. Your muscle is conditioned to build strength. 

You do not have to lift any heavy weight to build strength though that may help. Barbells and dumbbells are not even necessary but are vital tools for building powerful muscles and strength.

But isometric exercises, simply tricks you to tense or challenge the muscles of the various parts of your body to a certain extent until their revolt or felt a little useful pain!

Isometrics help you take a break from weight lifting, barbells and dumbbells and all the crunches necessary for building strong muscles and strength or that body builders uses.

It would not cost you a penny to do isometrics. The basic tool you have to use is any resistance or immoveable object and is 100% free.

What then is this tool? It is any hard and immovable surface like the floor, wall or ground.

You do not need rocket science class in doing isometrics or if you need one, it is for you to know how to tense the muscles of the leg, arm, hip, shoulder and so on hard against a hard surface. Is it had to place the palms of your two hands in a prayer posture and press them together for 10 seconds while breathing in and out? It can be the floor or ground, or wall of your office, or a tree in your garden anywhere. 

Isometric exercises can be done anywhere and you can get good results when done properly. 

You can see results in two weeks time.

Better and excellent results can be got when you do isometrics weekly and regularly.

I usually incorporate all my isometric exercises into my aerobic exercises. After doing all the basic supple or limbering (stretching) workouts, I execute some more as the jumping jack, the frog jump, press up and down; thereafter, I go jogging leisurely for 30 minutes.

At the end, I cool off with few of these basic aerobic exercises; this ensure that my muscle, bone, nerve and ligament are stay supple without any pain at the end of the day, and catapult into isometrics for only 5 to 10 minutes.

Each isometric exercise will take me just a minute. 5 or 8 exercises will take 5 or 8 minutes. 

As a beginner, do only 5 isometric exercises and build it up later to 10 or more.

Here are some health benefits you get by doing isometric exercises regularly every week.

·        You are customized or conditioned to strength training

·        Your muscles develops and become strong

·        You gain muscular strength

·        You become fit for anything any time

·        Your core is connecting to all bodily muscles and nerves including the bone and ligament

·        You gain stronger bones

·        It is an exercise that promote good health front, and can significantly reduce your blood pressure

·        Doing isometric exercises regularly or weekly keeps you fitter into old age

·        Your muscles become useful and very well coordinated

·        You gain balance in avoiding a fall (even in old age)

·        Your muscles can be easily rehabilitated any time.

With all these said, we can get started with only 10 to 15 seconds. In other words, each isometric exercise will take us just a minimum of 10 seconds or a maximum of 15 seconds after resting for between 20 to 30 seconds. Then you repeat the same set for 2 or 3 more time.

Some physical exercise nuts usual make a set for between 3 to 5 minutes. That is good in its self. I would not be surprised if someone will do a set for 10 minutes upfront. That would be superb!

The more you tense your muscles, the more they become accustomed to static strength training, and the more they develop powerfully. 

Static Strength Training

In isometric exercises, muscular actions do not change the length of the muscles nor is there any movement at the joint of the muscle. The length of the muscle whether shorten or elongated remain the same size. As there is no any sign of movement at the muscle or joint, the action is static compare to dynamic in aerobic or anaerobic exercises. For this reason, isometric exercises are sometimes called static strength training.

Breathing And Isometric Exercise

In some exercises, one is required to hold the breath for a few seconds as in anaerobic exercises.

Isometrics required that you breathe continuously. Holding your breath even for 5 seconds can cause your blood pressure to rise when it comes to the resting stage.

You should never do this. 

Always breathe in and out when doing a set. Say you are doing 3 sets or repetitions of wall sitting 10 seconds each, you should breathe in and out throughout the duration of the 10 seconds.

If you suffer from cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, holding the breath speaks danger. So, you should breathe in and out as long as the action is on. 

In normal contexts, all exercises carry over to 30 minutes raise the blood pressure. Whether you suffer from high blood pressure or not, your blood pressure will be raised. At the end of this story, I will tell you a yoga asana posture that will help bring your blood pressure to the normal level.

Timing Your Sets And Repetitions

Base on the result of classical research, the longer the duration of a set, the fewer the repetition of the set or that specific action. For example, a press up (high plank) is timed for 15 seconds. It can be repeated for 3 times. If it were timed for 1 minute, the repetition would be none or just one repetition.

But if the press up is hold for 2 minutes, no repetition is necessary.  If your set is low timed for 10 seconds, it can be repeated 3 or 4 times for the same 10 seconds. It is this that delivered good health benefits. 

First things First

As in all exercises, do some warming up before attempting any isometric exercises. Your joint, muscle and ligament need to be thoroughly lubricate and supple before you get started.

Failure to do so is asking for some trouble that will send you to the rehabilitation station. Injuries result to joint and muscle and at times the inside of the body speak ill-health that is not warrant for a proper isometric exercise.

Remember all exercises are geared toward health and wellness. Starting to warm up by stretching is an exercise in its own right. This should be done right, that is the warming up or stretching action because it can even result into injury, if it is wrongly done before the exercise proper.

Again, like all good things or as in all exercises, isometrics should be done two or three times in the week.

Limits Of Isometric Exercising

Isometric exercises aim at creating higher tension in the muscle, bone and endocrine system. Hence you are limited in doing isometric exercise if your muscle or bone is injured. 

Rehabilitating the injured muscle or joint is the first thing to do.

If you have a medical condition like high blood pressure or any heart related disease, you are limited to doing the exercise unless you are encourage by your doctor. 

But the good thing about all this is that like all exercises, isometrics can help lower your blood pressure if it is done at a lower degree.

Here are five exercises to begin with.

1.     The High Plank (also called Plank Bridge)

Lie face down on the floor or ground on which you spread a board in case of the ground. Your elbows and forearms should be placed under your chest.

Raise yourself to form a bride by using your toes and forearm like as in doing the press up. Hold this for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times and rest for 30 seconds. Remember the high plank is similar to the press up, but you do not lower yourself here. The core and back muscles are worked here.

2.     The low plank

Take the same starting point as above. When raising yourself, make it low as in the aerobic press down position but forming a low bridge. Hold for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times and rest for 30 seconds. This will work the abs.

3.     The side Bridge

Lying on your right side, you press up fully with your right arm to form a bridge. Place your left arm on your waist and hold this for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times and rest for 30 seconds.

Next, turn on your left side and do the same by pressing up with your left arm to form the bridge. This exercise is number 4 here.

4.     The Wall Squat

Stand straight with your back to the wall of your office or living room. Lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the floor and try to squeeze your feet together. This helps the inner thigh muscles to be tense more.

The five exercises will take you between 3 to 5 minutes in all excluding the resting stage.

Yes, here is an exercise that connecting your core.

The wall push, another isometric exercise can take you only a minimum of a minute and your core is properly connected while working your shoulder. 

So if you lack time in doing some leisurely or moderate exercises, you can tune on isometrics any time day or night.

In all these exercises, remember to breathe in and out. If you felt sharp pains at the first count, stop at once and do another.

As in all exercise, it takes time for results to be felt. Regular practice your exercise weekly. Your core will be connecting wellness.

Later, you may be attempting more than this five exercises. And, it can be up to ten or more as you progress. It is certain that your blood pressure will be spike here. Why? Isometrics exert more pressure on the muscles, bones and the endocrine system.

There is an exercise in the yogis system that helps bring the blood pressure to normal level. This is the dead man’s posture. In Sanskrit, it is called yoga Shavasana. It tells you to lie flat on your back with face facing the ceiling or the sky with both hands parallel to the body, fist unclench while you take a breath in and out to relax for a few minutes. The outstretch feet should be 1 feet apart and the hands at 20 degree.

To your good health!

High Plank Isometrics

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